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Double Whammy - Mating Disruption for Codling Moth and Oriental Fruit Moth

Apple growers now have a new mating disruption tool for managing codling moth (CM) and oriental fruit moth (OFM). Isomate-CM/OFM TT is a twist-tie type dispenser similar to those already available for effective management of OFM, but with the additional benefit of reducing mating of and subsequent damage caused by CM. The dispenser is designed to provide activity for the entire season for CM and up to 90 days for OFM.

Isomate-CM/OFM TT works most effectively where both the target populations and the risk of movement from unmanaged areas are low. Growers who have used mating disruption for OFM for several years have, in many cases, been able to rely on this tool as a stand alone pest management strategy. However, mating disruption for CM is a little trickier and when used alone will not provide adequate control in most commercial orchards.

When this technology is combined with existing IPM programs, pest populations and pesticide use can be reduced over a number of seasons. Depending on site pest pressure (determined by monitoring trap catch and damage levels), insecticides for one or both generations of CM are generally recommended to avoid unacceptable damage at harvest.

A few general tips to make mating disruption for CM work:

• Use large (> 10 ac or 4 ha) regularly shaped blocks. Area-wide management works best - talk to your neighbours.
• Orchards should have low to moderate pest pressure.
• Unsprayed hosts within 300 m of treated areas can be major sources of mated female moths, and border sprays may be required.
• During the first year of using mating disruption, follow a standard spray program for both generations and monitor extensively for this pest.
• For Year 2 and where populations are low, limit insecticides to the first generation.
• In subsequent years, use results from monitoring and damage assessments to determine if insecticide applications can be reduced further.

Many of the new reduced risk products work very effectively together with mating disruption to help reduce codling moth populations to levels where insecticides may be omitted in subsequent years.

Monitoring for codling moth flight is important for timing any required supplemental sprays. This can be done with standard lures in areas outside the treated blocks OR with special pheromone lures within treated orchards.

• Codling moth flight can be monitored using special "super lures" (10x lures, CM DA lures) loaded with high rates of pheromones that capture males even in disrupted blocks.
  
• Traps should be placed in the upper portion of the canopy in disrupted blocks.
  
• Check traps at least once every week, preferably twice.
  
• Use a minimum of one trap per hectare, with traps located near high risk areas and borders (5-6 rows in).
  
• Thresholds for the application of insecticides are based on the number of moths captured per trap per week in disrupted blocks. As a general guideline, 3-5 moths per trap per week indicates a need for caution. More than 5 moths per trap per week indicates the need for insecticides to supplement control from mating disruption.

Did you know....

The worldwide orchard area treated with codling moth mating disruption (apple, pear) has now surpassed 200,000 ha, while that treated for oriental fruit moth is about 50,000 ha*

For more information on mating disruption:

• Chapter 2 of the 2010-2011 version of Pub 360
• Mating Disruption for Management of Insect Pests, OMAFRA Factsheet Order No. 03-079.

* "Sex Pheromones and Their Impact on Pest Management" by Peter Witzgall & Philipp Kirsch & Alan Cork in Journal of Chemical Ecology (2010) 36:80-100